Sumatran cobra
| Sumatran cobra | ||||||||||||
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Sumatran cobra ( Naja sumatrana ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Well sumatrana | ||||||||||||
| F. Müller , 1887 |
The Sumatran cobra ( Naja sumatrana ), also known as the equatorial spitting cobra , is a venomous snake belonging to the genus of the real cobras ( Naja ).
features
The Sumatran cobra reaches a maximum length of 150 cm, but in general specimens from 100 to 120 cm are known. There are no large shields behind the parietal bone . There is a fore- lip shield , three rear-eye shields , eight lower lip shields , and seven upper lip shields . The third and fourth of these touch the eyes. There are 15 to 25 rows of back shields in the middle of the body. The back scales are smooth. The number of abdominal shields is 162 to 206. The anal shield is complete. There are 40 to 55 subcaudal scales , of which the anterior are complete and the posterior is divided. The basic color is yellow to yellowish green. Black specimens also occur on Borneo. The top of the head is brownish yellow or olive. The lips and throat are yellowish. The hood is not patterned. The eyes are dark and the tongue pink. The ventral side is usually bright yellow, light yellow, or black. Occasionally one finds specimens with irregularly shaped brownish spots on the underside of the hood. Juvenile snakes sometimes have light transverse lines. The clutch of this species can consist of up to 23 eggs.
Distribution area
The range of the Sumatran cobra extends from the Malay Peninsula , Borneo , Sumatra and the surrounding islands to Palawan and the Philippines .
habitat
The Sumatran cobra can be found in the lowlands and hilly regions up to altitudes of at least 1500 m. It inhabits the edges of the tropical wet and dry forests, especially along clearings and tropical and subtropical mountain forests, swamps and marshland, plantations, agricultural areas, rice terraces, gardens and urban areas. They often stay in damp places with dense vegetation in the vicinity of bodies of water.
Way of life
The Sumatran cobra lives on the ground, but can also be found in bodies of water. It is mainly nocturnal. During the day, she uses caves of appropriate size as a resting place and after dark she hunts mammals, especially rats, amphibians, lizards, birds and other snakes. This species is not aggressive. But since the snakes are often found in human dwellings, fatal bites occur again and again. When the Sumatran cobra is threatened, it raises its hood and spits its very strong poison very accurately into the attacker's eyes.
literature
- Rudolf Malkmus: Amphibians and reptiles of Mount Kinabalu (North Borneo) . ARG Gantner Verlag limited partnership, Ruggell, 2002. p. 387
Web links
- Well sumatrana in The Reptile Database
- Well sumatrana in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: Grismer, L., Chan-Ard, T., Diesmos, AC & Sy, E., 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.